Elevator signaling system



Jan. 3, 1928.

, 1925 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 26 I N V EN TOR fiper/ H Gay/0 A TTORNEYS.

Jan. 3, 1928.

R. H. GAYLOR D ELEVATOR SIGNALING SYS TE M Filed March 26. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 0 1 Wm Z 2 m0 Lam; /pl

w M M INVEN TOR.

Robe/7 6. G'oy/ord BY W yap/jack?v A TTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,142

R. H. GAYLORD ELEVATOR SIGNALING SII'STEM Filed March 26, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

I N V EN TOR.

Haber) Gay BY W m/m ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 3, 1928 UNITED STATES ROBERT E. GAYLORD, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ELEVATOR SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed March 26, 1925. Serial No. 18,509.

This invention relates to an improvement in the type of elevator signaling systems as described in the patent issued to James B. Smalley and Charles A. Reiners, No. 824,752,

dated July 24, 1906. The main object of the invention is to provide for an arrangement of an installation comprising a plurality of elevator cars in groups for the purpose of signal selection and control, each group comprising two or more adjacent elevator cars,

and to provide, in connection with an elevator signaling system for said installation as described in said patent, improved signal inter-controlling or group-selecting means for the floor landing signals and also for the elevator operators signals, said group-selecting means being adapted to so control the signal circuits that the landing signals and car operators signals corresponding to the cars of only one of said groups may be operated at any one time for a certain floor and direction of travel. A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the landing and car signals for a certain floor and direction of travel and corresponding to any two or more elevator cars in the same group may be in operation at the same time, provided such two or more cars of the same group are within the signaling zone for that fioor and direction of travel, while at the same time preventing operation of the signals corresponding to that floor and direction of travel for any car in any other group.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in each elevator car whereby when the landing and car signals corresponding to any car have been operated for a certain floor and direction of travel and the operator of that car does not wish to stop at that landing he may by operation of the aforesaid means in the car cancel such signals for his own car while at the same time, if any other car of the same group has also entered the signaling zone corresponding to that floor and has thus caused the car and landing signals corresponding to such other car to be operated, such signals for the other car will be permitted to remain in operation and the condition of the group-selecting or intercontrolling means will remain unchanged so that while control of the signals is retained by the said other car in the same group the signal circuits for all the cars in the other groups remain inoperative.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system of such a type that when an operator in one car causes his own signals to be cancelled for a given floor and direction of travel by operation of the signal-cancelling means in that car as above described, and there is at that time no other car of the same group within the signaling zone corresponding to that floor and direction of travel, the group-selecting or intercontrolling means will return to normal position and the nextcar of any group to enter said signaling zone will assume control of the signals so as to permit operation of the signals corresponding only to cars of the same group as said next entering car, to the exclusion of all other groups.

In buildings which are provided with elevator signaling systems of the type described in said Smalley and Reiners patent or many of the other types of such signalin systems in common use much confusion and delay is often caused by the operation at a landing of the landing signals for two or more cars simultaneously, such confusion bein due to the fact that in such cases the intending passenger is unable to determine which of the cars whose signal is displayed will be the first to reach the landing. Such systems have the further disadvantage that any two or more elevator cars entering the signal zone corresponding to a landing at which a push button has been closed by an intended passenger will receive a signal to stop at such landing so that two or more cars may be caused to stop at a single landing in response to the signal of one intending passenger. It has therefore been proposed and means have been devised to selectively control the signal operation in such manner that the signals for only one car can be operated at any one time for the same floor and direction of travel and whereby operation of the car and landing signals for any car at a given landing will open a break or otherwise render inoperative the signal circuits for all the other cars for that floor and direction of travel. One type of selective controlling means which I have devised for this purpose is described in my United States patent application, Serial No. 700,604, filed March 20, 1924. .I have found however that'in some cases it may be desirable to permit simultaneous operationof the car and landing signals for two or more adjacent cars while preventing operation at the same time of the signals corresponding to more remotely removed cars. The result of such a method of signal control is that an intending passenger or a group of intending passengers at a landing may receive signals indicating the approach of two or more adjoining cars simultaneously but will not re-' ceive such a signal for any car remotely removed therefrom, so that the passengers at any one landing will be grouped adjacent the group of cars for which the signals are being given. There will therefore be no confusion or delay in entering any one of said elevators when it has reached the landing, or in entering any other car or cars of the same group which may stop at that landing, in case the first car cannot accommodate all the pasengers. Another-advantage of the presentinvention over the system described in my said prior patent application is the reduction in the number of controlling devices required in each intercontrolling means and the saving in wiring effected by arranging for control of the signals in groups instead of for individual cars. v

The present invention contemplates the application of selective controlling means of the sametype as described in my said patent application but is distinguihed therefrom by the fact that the signals are so controlled that the signals for any number of cars within one group may be simultaneously operated, while rendering inoperative'the signal circuits for all the cars of the other groups for the same floor and direction of travel, whereas in said patent application the signals corresponding to only one car could be operated at any one time, the operation of such signals rendering inoperative the signal circuits for all the other cars for the same floor and direction of travel.

In addition, therefore, to the objects mentioned above the present invention has as further objects certain improvements in the construction and method of operation of the signaling controlling means which. are inherent in such means and are therefore to a certain extent common to my said patent application and to the present invention. Among such further objects may be mentioned the provision for electrically operated controlling means so as to avoid the use of mechanical interlocking means, which makes it practical to remotely separate the controlling devices associated together or functioning together, owing to the fact that they are interconnected onl electrically and notmechanically. Other important features of the invention which are to some extent common to both the present invention and to the application of the similar type of signal control means as set forth in my said patent application are as follows:

Upon the functioning of one of the intercontrol devices to establish or render operable the signal circuits for the cars of any one group, all other such devices associated therewith and corresponding to the same fioor and direction of travel will function to open breaks or otherwise render inoperative the signal circuits for all the cars in their respective groups, thereby eliminating the possibility of simultaneous operation of signals for the same floor and direction of travel by cars in different groups.

The devices in their normal routine opera-- tion are not called upon to break or make circuits except in casesv where an operator wishes to transfer signals to another car and provided no car of the same group is at that time within the zone corresponding to such signal. The elimination of thisnecessity of continually making and breaking the current within the controlling devices except occasionally as above mentioned permits of simple construction of the devices and assures long life of the circuit-closing means and contact points associated therewith.

The normal position of-the devices is such that the breaks controlled thereby in the signal circuits are normally closed and therefore are always responsive to function in the establishing or completion of a signal circuitupon entrance of an elevator car into the corresponding signal zone.

Other advantages are the simplicity with which this improvement may be applied to the installations of the Smalley and Reiners type already in use, the fact that it may be operated with either direct or alternating current, and the small amount of electrical energy required to operate the devices which permits of their introduction into the signal circuits without impairing the efficiency of the signaling means to any appreciable extent.

The accompanying drawings illustrate apparatus and circuits suitable for carrying.

out my invention and referring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the circuit connections and controlling means for the landing and car signals for an elevator installation comprising two groups of two cars each.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the caroperated switch or commutator.

3 is a section on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on line H in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 iii Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the circuit coutrolling means for all the signal circuits for one floor and direction of travel and of the setting and restoring meanstherefor.

'Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a set electromagnetic group selecting or intercontrolling devices.

. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the devices shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of the winding and connections of the set of group selecting or inter-controlling devices shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a diagram'of the circuit conneclUU tions and intercontrolling means for an elevator system similar to that shown in Fig. l but in which there are no push buttons at the landings and no signals in the elevators.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have illustrated diagrammatically the various parts,

of a signaling system according to my invention for an installation of four elevators arranged for signaling purposes in two groups of two elevators .each. For example elevator cars l and 2 may be arranged in one signaling group and elevator cars 3 and 4 in another group, said cars being adapted to travel up and down in theirrespective shafts and being provided with the usual means for effecting operation thereof in the ordinary manner. The arrangement of cars into signaling groups is preferably based upon proximity of the cars, for example where a number of elevator shafts are 10- cated'side by side two or more adjoining cars may be grouped together in each .group, or where there are two or more cars on each sideofa corridor those on one side may be arranged in one group and those on the other side in another group or any other suitable manner of grouping may be employed depending upon the particular arrangement of the cars or shafts in any case. A suitable source of electricity, for example, an ordinary dynamo or generator, is indicated at 5 although it will, of course, be understood that it will not in general be necessary to provide a special source of electricity, as the same may be obtained by connecting the operating circuits to the public power lines. Each elevator car is provided With an electrically operated or controlled signal 6 which may, for example, be an electric lamp. Electrically operated or controlled signals may also be provided at the landings and adjacent the respective elevator shafts for signaling an intending passenger that a certain elevator car is approaching him in the direction which he desires to go. These signals are also preferably electric lamps and a series of the same, as indicated at 7 to 14, are preferably provided v for each elevator car in the in stallation. In Fig. 1, the series of such signals nearest each elevator car corresponds to that car. .The top and bottom floors are each provided with a single lamp for each elevator and each of the intermediate floors with a air of lamps for each elevator such as 8 and 9 for the second floor. These will be.usually located outside of the elevator shaft adjacent to each elevator doorway, as is common at the present time, one of said lamps at each floor serving to indicate the approach of a downwardly moving car and the other the approach of an upwardly moving ear. I

uitable manually operated circuit elosing means such as ordinary push buttons are also provided at each floor, by which the intending passenger, by operating one of said circuitclosing means, will close, or cause to be closed, a break in the signal circuits for all the cars for the floor and direction of travel corresponding to such circuit closing means, thus placing said signal circuits in such condition that, when any car-operated switch or commutator closes another break in the signal circuits of the,

corresponding car for that floor and direction of travel, the proper signals will be operated. These manually operated circuit closing means at the landings are indicated at 15 to 22, inclusive, and constitute primary circuit closers, the top and bottom floors each being provided with one, and each intermediate floor being provided with two, of such primary circuit closers, the upper ones being to signal upwardly moving cars and the lower ones downwardly moving cars, as is customary in such devices. One side of each of said manual circuit closing means, for example, one of the contacts of each push button in case such means are used is connected to a suitable source of current such as battery 24 and the other side of each of said manual circuit closing means is connected to a setting magnet adapted to control an electromagnetically operated circuit closing means corresponding to that floor and direction of travel, the circuit being completed from the other side of said setting magnet to the other side of battery 24-1as hereinafter described. While only one set of push buttons is illustrated it will be understood that any desired number of such sets may be provided, for example, there may be two or more push buttons at each landing for each direction of travel, arranged at convenient points adjacent the elevator shafts, all of said push buttons for one installation or one bank of elevator cars being cross-connected in the usual manner to the setting magnets for the same electro-magnetically controlled circuit closing means. These electromagnetically controlled circuit closing means, indicated at 39 to 41, inclusive, and 7 6 to 78, inclusive, constitute secondary circuit closers and will be described more in detail hereinafter.

A car operated switching device or com- Inutator is provided for each elevator car and is operated by connection with said car in any suitable manner, the construction and Operation of said switches being substantially the same as the construction and operation of the commutators described in said Smalley and Reiners patent with the exception that the switches shown herein are adapted for a five story or five landing signal system instead of for seven landings as shown in said Smalley and Reiners patent. The contacts and the electrical connections for the car-controlled switches are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1. while the mechanical construction of such switches is shown more clearly in Figs; 2 to 4 inclus1ve. In Fig. 1 the contacts shown above each car belong to the corresponding car-controlled commutator. Each of these commutators is adapted to determine the time when the signals for the corresponding cars shall be operated, that is, when the signal lights at the landing and in the car will be lighted up, provided that a landing push button has been operated, so as to close the other normally open break in the signal circuits. Each commutator consists of suitable fixed and relatively moving contacts and in the present embodiment the brushes are indicated as con stituting the moving members thereof, said brushes being arranged intwo groups corresponding respectively to up and down travel of the car and adapted to contact respectively and alternately with two corresponding groups of fixed contacts arranged on opposite sides of the commutator. As shown in Figs. 2 to 5 each of said commutators may comprise a moving member or brush carrier 26 adapted to be moved back and forth by operation of the corresponding car, said moving member, for example, comprising a nut 27 which is adapted to work on a screw shaft 28 operated by connection withthe car operating means in any suitable manner. Suitable means are provided for tilting said moving member on said shaft at each end of its path so as to shift the brush carrier, so that one group of brushes is operatively-engaged with the corresponding fixed contacts while the elevator car is travelling upwardly and the other group of brushes is operatively engaged with the other corresponding group of fixed contacts durin the downward travel of the elevator car. cans for effect in this tilting operation ma consist of a frictional bearlng means as own at 29 in Fig. 5 engaging screw shaft 28 whereby the nut 27 is caused to tend to turn or tilt one side or the other in correspondence with the direction of rotation of said screw shaft, and such means may further comprise a guide member 30 ada ted to engage an arm 31 on nut 27 to hold te brush carrier tilted to one side while it is travelling in one direction and to the other side while it is travelling in the opposite direction, all as set forth in the patent to Smalley and Reiners above referred to.

The group of fixed contacts in each commutator for the control of the down signals at the landings comprise two series of contact plates, one of such seriesbeing indicated at 33 to 35, inclusive, and the other series being indicated at 36 to 38, inclusive. These two series of contacts are'adapted to beengaged by the brushes as the car moves downwardly and it will be observed that each plate of the series 33 35 is connected to a down light, that is, contact plate 33 is connected to lamp 8, contact 34 to lamp 10, etc.

Contact plates 36 to 38 are connected to the corresponding electromagnetically controlled switches or secondary circuit closing means indicated as mercury pots 39 to 41 for control of the down signal circuits, each of which is provided with pivoted contact arm 42. Each of said connections from the contacts of the car operated switch to the mercury pots includes or passes through the corresponding groups-selecting or intercontrolling devices hereinafter described. Said pivoted arms 42 for the mercury pots are operated by setting magnets 43 to 45 inclusive which are connected to and controlled by the respective down push buttons or primary circuit closers 16, 18, and 20. The pivoted contact arms are all electrically connected to one side of the dynamo or source of current 5. i r

The construction and arrangement of the mercury pots 39 to 41 together with the setting and restoring magnets for controlling the operation of the pivoted circuit closing arms 42 is shownvin Fig. 6. Each setting magnet has an armature 46 adapted to. control said contact arm 42. Said arm is nor- 'mally held out of contact with the mercury in the mercury pot by engagement of armature 46 with the other end of said arm-as at 47, thereby causing a break in the signal circuits for the corresponding floor and direction of travel at this point. Upon energiza-' tion of the setting magnet due to closing of the circuit at the corresponding push button,

armature 46 will be attracted and contact arm 42 thereby released, permitting said arm to fall into the mercurypot and make contact with the mercury therein so as to close the circuit at this point. There is provided a restoring magnet as indicated at 48 to 50 for each of the contact arms 42 for restoring the same to the normal position as shown in Fig. 6 as the car starts to move away from the floor for which the signal has been operated, as will be described more in detail hereinafter.

7 It will be seen therefore that each intermediate floor, for the downward travel of the car, is served by one of said floor signal lamps such as 8, a contact plate of the caroperated switch such as 33 connected therewith, a contact plate such as 36 adapted to be electrically connected to said first-named plate as hereinafter described, said latter contact being connected to the source of electrical supply through electromagneticalthrough group-selecting or intercontrolling ,means which will be described more in detail hereinafter. In order to control electrical connection between contact plates 33 and. 36, 34 and 37, etc., there is provided a brush or brushes for each series of plates, as indicated at 51 and 52, these brushes being electrically connected as indicated. It will be obvious that when any one pair of these brushes engage the respective contact plates, for example contact plates-33 and 36 the corresponding fioor lamp such as lamp 8 will be lighted up providing the other breaks in the circuit are closed. It is preferred to provide several pairs of these brushes 51 and 52 and space the pairs a distance apart less than the width of any single plate of the series so that each pair of corresponding plates such as3- and 36 will be electrically connected While the car is moving for severalfloors so that the floor light will light up several floors in advance of thecars and will remain lighted until the car reaches the floor, this arrangement of the brushes being shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and being also shown in Fig. 2.

The car signal circuits are also controlled by contact means in the car operated commutator, comprising, for example, a long contact strip 54,,electrically connected to the car signal in the corresponding car and thence to the source of electric power. There is provided one or more pairs of brushes-56 and 57, said brushes being electrically connected together and the brushes 56 being adapted to make contact with contact strip 54 and brushes 57 being adapted to make contact with the series of contacts 36 to 38. It is preferred to provide'contact strip 54 and brushes 56' rather than to attach the circuit from the car lamp directly to'brushes 57 but this construction may not be necessary in all cases. The car signal is therefore in circuit with brush means, such as brushes 57, adapted to engage the series of contacts 36 to 38. In the present embodiment these brushes 57 are shown as separate brushes from the brushes 51 and 52 aforesaid and this is the construction that is preferred, but it will be observed as shown in Fig. 1 that, when these brushes are in the position shown in that figure, one brush 57 rests on the same contact plate as a brush 52 and at that time said brushes are in fact a sin le brush. One purpose of separating said brushes however is to provide different periods of advance operation of the landing signals and car signals. For example, in order to light up the car light only a floor or so before the car reaches the floor, brushes 56 and 57 are located behind the foremost brushes 51 and 52, so that the car light will not be lighted up until somewhat after the fioor light is lighted. It is preferable to provide two pairs of the connected brushes '56 and 57 separated by a distance less than the width of each contact plate so as to mainwith. contact Restoring means are also provided for automatically restoring the circuits to normal condition after an elevator car has passed by the floor at which the signals wereoperated, such restoration of the circuits to normal condition being accomplished in this instance by opening thesecondary circuit closer, that is by raising the corresponding contact arm 42 out of its mercury pot. Such restoring means may comprise the restoring magnets 48 to 50 aforesaid of which magnet 48 is shown in Fig. 6. Said electromagnet 48 will, when energized, raise contact lever 42 out of the mercury pot 39 and cause the other end of said contact arm to be again brought underneath the end of armature 46 where it will be held until the setting magnet 43 is again energized. In order to energ ze the restoring magnets at the proper time, there are provided a series of contacts 58 to 60 upon the car-operated switch or commutator. Brush 61 is adapted to engage said contacts and is connected in any suitable manner to battery 24, for example, as shown, by being electrically connected to a brush 62 engaging contact strip 63 which is electrically connected to said battery. The respective contact plates 58 to 60 are so positioned that when the car starts to move away from any floor at which the signal has been given, brush 61 will engage the corresponding one of said contacts and energize the corresponding restoring magnet so as to break the signal circuits at the secondary circuit closer as above set forth. For exam le, assuming car 1 to be moving downward (y, after the said car has passed the secon floor, brush 61 will make contact plate 58, thereby completing the circuit through restoring magnet 48 and energizing the same and causing the contact arm 42 to be lifted out of mercury pot 39 and thus opens a break in all the down signal circuits for the second floor.

The brushes above mentioned have been shown in Fig. 1 in the relative positions they occupy as car 1 is descending, these brushes therefore controlling the car signal to said car during downward travel and the clown signals at the landings for that car. The brushes are omitted from that part of the commutator of car 1 in Fig. 1 correspondrng to the upward travel of the car, as such brushes are not in operative position at this time, being out of operative contact with the up plates on that side of the commutator. Contact plates and strips 65 to are also provided, however, at the other side of said car-operated switch and are connected in the circuits and adapted to function during upward travel of the car in the When the car moves'upwardly the brushes for the up contact plates are shifted into such position by means operated by the car as shown in said Smalley and Reiners patent, so as to bring such brushes into position to engage the up contactplates to 75 and thus control the up signals and the corresponding restoring magnets. This shifting of the brushes will be referred to hereinafter. The brushes for the up contact plates are similarly but oppositely arranged to those above described for the down contact plates. Said up brushes are indicated at 87 to 92 in Fig. 3 in inoperative position during downward movement of the car, said brushes being inoperative because of the fact that each connected pair of brushes such as 87 and 88, engage only one series of contact plates, such as the series 68 to 70. Mercury pots or secondary circuit closers 76 to 78, setting magnets (a to 81 and restoring magnets 82 to 84 are also provided for controlling the up signal circuits all of said means being connected and adapted to "function in a similar maner to those above set forth for the down signal circuits. The system is therefore provided with similar control means for upward and downward movement of the cars. It will also be understood that the car-controlled switching means for the other 1 cars are also provided with contacts and brushes and are adapted to operate-in the same manner as above indicated for car 1, only. the contacts of such other devices being indicated, however, in Fig. 1.

A night signal or hell 85 may be included in, the push button circuits, said bell being normally short-circuited through switch 86 and being adapted to operate upon closing a push-button only when said switch is open, for example, at night.

The above description of the signal system applies to all'intermediate floors but in order to provide for operation of the signals at the top and bottom floors at the-proper time it will be observed that the commutator contacts corresponding to each down signal at the top floor are located in the same series as those for the up signals for intermediate floors, while those for each up signal for the bottom floorare grouped with those for the down signals at intermediate floors. It will also be observed that in the normal operation of the elevators there is no need in the case of the top and bottom floors of the manually operated primary circuit closers nor of the electromagnetically operated closers controlled thereby. There are therefore no mercury pots for the signals at these floors nor any setting and restoring magnets nor restoring contact plates in the car 0 erated switches, such signals being there ore adapted to always operate when a car enters the signal zone, subject however to the group selecting or intercontrolling means hereinafter described. Push buttons .nected preferably through suitable resistance 93 to battery 24. These push buttons normally have no function but when the elevators are not in normal operation for example at night, switch 86 may be opened and in such case' closing of any push button, including 15 and 22, will cause bell 85 to ring. These special provisions are also substantially the same as in the said Smalley and Reiners patent.

My invention comprises in connect1on with the above described signaling system, electrically operated group-selecting or intercontrolling means which are incorporated in the connections for the floor landlng signals and car signals and preferably between the car operated switches and the mercury pots or secondary circuit closers. A form of electromagnetic group-selecting means is shown in detail in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. There is provided a set or series of such 1ntercontrolling means for each floor and direction of travel and each set or series comprises a plurality of controlling electromagnets 100, there being one of such controlling electro-magnets in each series for each that they may if desired be remotely sepa-- rated from one another. In fact each of the electro-magnetic devices 100 may be mounted adjacent the corresponding car-operated switch, and under certain conditions this method of installation may be advantageous. Each electromagnet controls an armature 101 carried by or attached to a ivoted arm 102 controlling a circuit reaker or controller. For this purposesaid arm 102 may cooperate, for example, with a mercury pot 103 to control a branch circuit included in the car and landing signal circuits for the elevator cars of the corresponding group, as hereinafter described. Each electromagnet 100 may comprise two coils or windings 104 and 105 which, in the form shown in Fi 7 and 8, are wound on the same core an are connected in such a manner that, when energized, they act in opposition. In practice the two windings may each extend substantially the entire length of the electromagnet but for the sake of clearness the windings are shown as separate in Fig. Land in some cases they may be wound in this manner. The series of group selecting devices shown at the left in Fig. 1 are for controlling the up signal circuits and those at the right for the down signal circuits, there being a set of such devices for the up signals for each floor except the top floor and a set of devices for the down signals for each floor except the bottom floor. Because of the arrangement of the contact plates in the caroperated switches as above set forth the set of intercontrollin g devices for the down signals at the top floor are grouped in the diagram with the intercontrolling devices for the up signals at the intermediate floors and similarly the inter-controlling devices for the up signals at the bottom floor are grouped with the devices for the down signals at the intermediate floors. The coils or windings 104 for all the electromagnets 100 of a given set are connected in series, for example by wires 107, a connection 106 leading from one of said coils to the corresponding mercury pot or secondary circuit closer of the series 39 to -11 or 76 to 78, and connections 108 leading from the winding 104 of the elect-romagnet 100 at the other end of the set to the several windings 105 of all the electromagnets 100 in that set in parallel or multiple connection. From each coil or winding 105 a connection 109 leads to the corresponding pivoted arm 102 which establishes a contact with mercury pot 103 from which a wire 110 leads to the corresponding contact of the series 36 to 38 or 68 to of the car-controlled switch corresponding to each car in that signaling group. It will be seen for example that corres ending contacts of the car-controlled switches for cars 1 and 2 are connected to the same circuit controller 103 in each case. while the contacts corresponding to cars 3 and 4: are connected to the other circuit controller 103 in each set of intercontrolling means.

I also prefer to provide in connection with the above described system a car-operators switch 111 in each elevator for cancelling or controlling the landing and car signals for that car and a car-operators switch 112 for controlling the restoring circuits for that car, each of the elevator cars 1 to 4 inclusive being provided with one of each of these switches. v

The signal circuits are as follows. From the dynamo 5 a wire 115 leads to branch wires 116 and 117, wire 116 being connected to the contact arms 42 of the secondary cir cuit closers for the down signal circuits and wire 117 being connected to contact arms 42 for the up signal circuits. From each mer cury pot or from the other sideof each secondary circuit closer a wire 106 leads to the corresponding set of group selecting or in tercontrolling electromagnets 100 and from each mercury pot 103 of each of said sets a wire 110 aforesaid leads to a contact 36 to 38 or 68 to 70 at the car-operated switches for the cars in the corresponding group.-

From the contacts of the series 33 to 35 and 65 to 67 of each car-operated switch, wires 119 lead to the respective landing signals, those from the contact plates 33 to 35 leading to down signal lamps and those from contact plates 65 to 67 leading to up signal lamps. From said landing signals return connections 120 and 121 lead to the caroperators signal control switch 111 in the corresponding car, from-which connection 122 leads back to the other side of the dynamo 5. From the long contact strips 54 and 71 on both the up and down sides of the car-operated switch, wires 123 and 124 lead to the car signal 6 in the corresponding car, the other side of said car signal being connected, together with wire 121, to the car-operators control switch 111. It will be seen therefore that by operating said control, or signal-cancelling switch the return circuit. for both the car signal and landing signals is interrupted.

The primary or manual control circuit leads by wire 126 connected to one side of battery 2% and wires 127 and 128 respectively to the setting magnets 43 to 45 and to 81,- from which wires 129 lead to the corresponding primary circu t closers or push buttons 16 to 21. The return circuit for said circuit closers is established by connections 130 and 131 to the other side of the battery 24.

The restoring circuit also leads by connection 126 and connections 127 and 128 to the restoring magnets 18 to 50 and 82to 84, thence by wires 132 to the respective restoring circuit contacts 58 to 60 and 72 to 74' for all the car-operated switches in parallel, and from the long contact strips 63 and 75 of each car-operated switch by wire 133 to the restoring circuit switch 112 in the corresponding car. From said switch wire 13 leads to a return wire 135 connected to the other side of battery 24. Opening of the restoring circuit switch 112 in any car therefore serves to open a break in all of the restoring circuits corresponding to that car so that such car in passing out of the signaling zone for any floor will not cause the restoring magnet to be energized and will therefore permit the corresponding secondary circuit closing means or mercury cup such as 39 to remainin closed or operative position.

The operat on of the above described signaling system is as follows: y

In normal or inactive condition assuming that none of the primary circuit closures or push buttons 15-to 22 at the landings have been operated by an intending passenger, the secondary circuit closers are all in open p0;

sit on, that is to say, the contact arms 42 for I all the mercury cups 39 to 41 and 76 to 78 responding contact arm 102 and mercury cup 103 of-the intercontrolling means but also upon the closure of the circuit at the main secondary circuit closer or mercury cup of the series 39 to 41 and 76 to 78 and also upon closure of a connection between the corresponding contacts of the car-operated switch.

Assuming that intending passenger op' crates one of the push buttons, for example, the down push button 16 at the second floor, the corresponding control circuit as above described will be completed and the corresponding setting magnet 43 will therefore be energized, causing the corresponding contact arm 42 to drop into mercury cup 39 and close connection at the secondary circuit closer for the down signal circuits for the second floor for all the cars. The first descendin car which enters the signaling zone for that floor, for example, car 1 will then cause the break in the signal circuits at the corresponding car-operated switch to be closed by operation of the brush means as above described. The break in the landing signal circuit will lie closed first, by engagement of a pair of brushes 51 and v 52 with contact plates 33 and 36 thus completing the signal circuit through the down landing signal 8 at the second floor for car 1. Current will then pass from dynamo 5 through wires 115 and 116 to contact arm 42 and mercury cup 39 thence by wire 106 to the set of group-selecting or intercontrolling means corresponding to the down signals for the second floor. The electric currentpasscs first in series by connections 107 through the coils or windings 104 of all the electromagnets 100 of that set and then passes through connection 108 to the other Winding 105 of the electromagnet corresponding to the group of cars l and 2. From said winding 105 the current passes through the corresponding connection 109 to contact arm 102 and mercury cup 103 and thence by the corresponding wire 110 to the down contact 36 for the second fioor' of the car-controlled switches corresponding to both cars 1 and 2. Since the circuit is closed at this point by brush means 51 and 52 only in the car-operated switch for car 1, current will then flow through said brushes to contact plate 33 and thence to the down landing signal 8 at the second fioorand through wires 120 and 121, switch 111, and wire 122, back to the dynamo 5.

'Since the two windings 104 and 105 of each electro-magnetic controlling device 100 are wound so as to oppose each other upon energization thereof, thearmature 101 of said magnet corresponding to the group of cars 1 and 2 remains unaffected because both windings thereof are energized, and the contact between means 102 and 103 of such device therefore remains closed. The down signal lamp 8 at the second floor will therefore be lighted up,-signifying to the intending passenger that car 1 is approaching that floor. In the case of the other electromagnetic intercontrol device or devices 100 of the same set however only the coil 104 is energized, there being no connection established to the coil 105 of said device, so that the armature 102 thereof is attracted and the corresponding circuit is interrupted by breaking the connection between members 102 and 103 as indicated at 140. An additional break is therefore established in the circuits of the down landing signals at the second floor for all the cars except those 'in the group which has assumed control of the signals so that no down landing signal at the second floor for any car in any other group can be operated as long as a car in the controlling group (in this instance the group consisting of cars 1 and 2) remains in control of the signals, even though such other car comes Within the signaling zone for that floor and thus causes the break in the circuit at the corresponding car-operated switch to be closed. It will be seen therefore that in any set of group selecting or intercontrolling devices the first device to oper-' ate, that is to say the first device through whose contact means 102 and 103 the current actually flows, remains in operative position and retains the connection closed atthis point while opening such connection for all the other devices associated therewith and thereby rendering inoperative the signal circuits for the cars of all the other groups for that floor and direction of travel.

As earl approaches closer to the second floor, say when it is one floor or so away, a pair of brushes 56 and 57 will operate to close the circuit between contact strip 54 and contact plate 36 of the corresponding car-operated switch. Contact plate 36 being then in electrical connection with the dynamo through the secondar circuit closingmeans and the intercontro ling device as above described, current will flow through brushes 57 and 56, contact strip 54 and wires 1:23 and-124 to the car lamp 6 in car 1 and thence through switch 111 and wire 122 of car 1 that he is to stop at the second floor.

Thus both the landing and car signals cor- I responding to car 1 are operated while both of said signals for cars 3 and 4 are rendered inoperative by reason of a break in the circuits therefor at the corresponding intercontrolling device as indicated at 140 in Fig. 1.

'It will be seen however that the circuits for the signals corresponding to car 2 are not rendered inoperative b the above operation of the intercontrolling means, since such circuits are connected to the same device as the circuits for car 1, so that if said car -2 enters the down signal zone for the second floor while car 1 is in control such circuits will be completed at the car-operated switch for car 2 and both the landing signal and car signal for car 2 will be operated in substantially the same manner as for car 1. It is thus seen that the groupselecting or intercontrolling means operates upon completion of the signal circuitsfor any one car and for a certa n floor and direction of travel to render inoperative the their corresponding landing and car si signal circuits for the cars of all the other groups for that floor and direction of trave1 but permits the signal circuits forother cars of the same group to remain in opera-,

tive condition, so that it is possible for two or more cars 1n the same group to cause gnals to be operated at the same time for a single floor and direction of travel.

When a car which has caused operation of the landing and car. signals as above described passes beyond the signaling zone for that landing the connection between the corresponding contacts of the car-operated switch is broken; for example in thev case assumed above when car 1 passes out of the signaling zone for floor 2 the brushes 51 and 52 will pass oil of contact plates 33and 36 and brushes 56 and 57 will pass ofipf contacts 54 and 36 and the corresponding intercontrolling electromagnets are therefore de-energized, thus permitting contact arm 102 of the device indicated at 140' to return to normal position and again close the contact with its mercury cup 103. This of course only takes place provided no other car of the same group is still within this signaling zone since the intercontroll ng means are retained in energized or selecting position as long as any car of this group remains in control of the signals. 7,

Assuming that when car passes out of the signaling zone car 2 is not with n said zone, the intercontrolling device Wlll be returned to normal condition as above described. Furthermore the car-operated switch for car 1 also operates to cause brushes 61 and62 to close connection be tween contact plate 58 and contact strip 63 thereby causing current to flow in the restoring circuit of restoring magnet 43 and causing the same to attract arm 42 and raise it out of mercury cup 39, in which position it is retained by engagement of armature 46. The si nal circuits for that floor and direction 0 travel are thus broken at this point and the system is restored to its original or inactive condition, and it should be noted that in normal operation the first car of the group which is in control of the signals to pass out of the signaling zone so restores the circuits and thus cancels any previously operated signals for any other car in that group. Generally speaking the operation of restoring the circuits takes place in such manner that brushes 61 and 62 close the connection in the restoring circuit before the connections controlled by brushes 51, 52, 56, and 57 in the signal circuits are open, the object being to break the circuit in the mercury pot or secondary circuit closer 39 rather than to break the circuit at the point of contact between the brushes and the contact plates of the car-operated switch so as to prevent deterioration of such brushes and contacts due to sparks which might occur if the circuit were actually broken at this point.

V I will now describe the functions of the car-operators switches 111 and 112 and the difierentways in which the signal operation may be modified according to the wishes of the operator by the opening of either or both of said switches. In the case assumed above, it the operator of car 1 upon stopping at the second floor in answer to the signal finds that he can not carry all the pasv sengers, he may then open switch 112 in the same group as car 1 (such as car 2 in this case) within the signaling zone for that floor such car will already have received the signal and will have caused operation of its own signal at the landing. The only efiect of opening the restoring circuit switch in car 1 in that case will be to permit the sig nals for car 2 to remain in operation until after the latter car leaves the landing and leave the restoring operation to be performed by said latter car. In case there is no car of the same group within the signaling zone for the second floor down, when c ar 1 passes out of the zone with its restoring circuit switch 112 open, the signal circuits "for that floor will as above described remain closed at the mercury cup 39 and Itl 'devices'for that floor'and direction of travel will be restored to normal condition, that is to say, contact will again be closed at 140, so that the next car of any group in the installation which enters the down signaling zone for the second floor will assume control of the signals and cause operation thereof as above described, or, if any car of another group is at that time within that signaling zone, it will immediately assume control of the signals upon release thereof by car 1.

The operator of car 1 may on the other hand upon receiving the signal to stop at the second floor, open the restoring circuit switch 112 at any time before he reaches the landing for example in case he does not wish to stop at that landing. the signals for this car will remain in operation until the car passes out of the signal ing zone but any car of the same group coming within the signaling zone for that floor before car 1 passes out of the zonewill also cause operation of its signals. Car 1 will then pass the second floor without stopping but upon passing out of the signalingzone will not cause restoration of the circuits to normal condition, and if no other car of the same group has by that time assumed control of the signals then such control will be assumed by the next car of any group whichenters the signaling zone. This operation may have the advantage in some cases of retaining the signaling operation within the same group provided there is another car within that group following closely behind car 1 while permitting the signals to be transferred to a car of another group in case there is no car of the same group closely behind car 1.

The operator may on the other hand open the signal circuit switch 111, and this operation may as before he done either before or after the car has stopped at the landing. For example if the operator of car 1 upon receiving the signal to stop at the second floor does not wish to make such a stop and wishes to immediately throw the signal circuits open to reception by any car of any group either then in the signaling zone or about to enter the same, he may open switch 111, thus immediately cancelling the down signal at the second floor for his car and also cancelling the signal in the car for the second floor. If there is at this time another car of the same group in the signal zone, such other car will already have assumed control of the signals together with car 1, and upon cancellation of the signals for car 1 such other car, for example, car 2 in this case, will retain control of its own signals. In case there is no car of the same group within that signaling zone when switch 111 is open, then the group-selecting or inter- In such case controlling devices for that floor and direction of travel will all be restored to normal condition, the break in the circuit at 140 being closed. In such case, if there is at this time any car in any other group within tlns signalingzone, such car will immediately assume control of the signal circuits and will cause operation of its car and landing signals. For example, if car 3 should be .in thls signaling zone at this time, the signals corresponding thereto will be operated and the group-selecting means will function to retain the connection in closed condition at 140 and to open the circuit controlling devices for all the other group selecting devices associated therewith. Control of the signals will therefore in this case be immediately transferred from one group to the' other group. If there is no other car within the down signaling zone for the second floor when the operator of car 1 opens the switch- 111 in his car as above described, the groupselecting devices will all return to normal condition, and the break in the circuit at the secondary circuit closer 39 will remain closed, so that whatever car, of any group, next enters this signaling zone will assume control and cause operation of the signals.

On the other hand, if the operator of car 1 has already stopped at the second floor in response to the signal but finds that he can not carry all the passengers awaiting there and wishes to immediately render the signal circuits susceptible to control by an car in any group either then within the signaling zone or about to enter the same he may then open switch 111, thereby immediately cancelling his own signals and permitting such other car to assume control either immediately or upon entering the signaling zone. In any case however when the operator opens the signal circuit switch 111 to effect transfer of the signals as above described he should also open restoring circuit switch 112 so that upon passing out of the zone his car will not cause restoration of thesignal circuits to normal position and will therefore permit operation of the signals for the next car entering the zone or will in case another car has already assumed control of the signals leave the restoring operation to be per-" formed by such other car.

It will also be observed that in certain cases the transfer of signals from one car to another will depend upon the relative position of the cars, for example assume car 1 is approaching the third floor in' a downward direction and has caused operation of the down landing signals at both the third and second floors, if the operator does not wish to stop at either of said floors he may open switch 11. Assuming further that car 2 of the same group is following behind car 1 and is withinthe signaling zone for the third floor but not for the second floor, it

will be seen that car 2 will retain control of the signals for the third floor but the groupselecting or intercontrolling means for the second floor will be restored to normal condition so as to permit operation of the signals for the second floor by any other car in the installation which is then in that signaling zone or which next enters the same.

While my invention is of especial advantage in connection with an elevator signaling system provided with push buttons or other primary circuit closers at the landings, itmay also be applied with some modifications to a signaling system for so-called department store elevators in which all cars stop at each floor. The only purpose of the signaling system in such case isto notify the intending passengers which of the cars will be the next to stop. The wiring circuits for such a system are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 10 in which the parts and connec-' tions are numbered as far as possible the same as in Fig. 1. It will be obvious that in such a system no push buttons are required at the landings and no car signals are required. The main mercury pots or secondary circuit closers, together with the setting and restoring magnets therefor, and such contacts of the car-operated switches as pertain to the car signal circuits and the restoring circuits may therefore also be eliminated in this case, and also of course the wiring or connections therefor. The other connections remain substantially the same as in the other case with the exception that the wire 115 leading from dynamo 5 is connected directly by wires 145 and 146 to the group selecting or intercontrolling means for the up and down signals respectively.

The operation of the car-operated switches and of the group'selecting or intercontrolling means is substantially the same in this case as in the other form, the result being in this case that whenever any car enters the signaling zone corresponding to a certain floor the landing signal for that car will be lighted and the intercontrolling means will operate to break the circuits for all the cars in all the other groups so that no car signals for any car in any other group can be operated at that fioor until the first car has moved out of the signaling zoneoi' until its transfer switch 111 has been opened. As in the other case however any car of the same group may cause simultaneous operation of its signal at that floor so that the landing signals for two or more adjacent cars of the same group may be operated at the same time, thus notifying the. intending passenger that both of such cars are approaching the landing. The operator of any car however in case he does not wish tostop at a certain floor may open the switch 111 in his car so as to prevent operation of the corresponding signal at that floor and permit operation of the signal for any car in any other group which is the next to approac that floor. The principal features of m invention are present in this form as wel as in the form first described. Especially is it true in this case as well as in the other that when any car assumes control of the signal for any floor the roup selecting or iiitercoiitrolling means wi I operate so as to permit simultaneous operation of the signal for that floor for any other car of the same group while preventing operation of such signal for any car in any other group.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with an elevator system comprising a pluralit Y of groups each comprising a plurality 0 cars, a signal system comprising landing signal circuits, car-controlled switching devices corresponding to said cars and operable to control said circuits, and group-selecting means adapted to operate upon operation of one of said carcontrolled switching devices to control the landing signal circuit for any floor, to prevent control of said circuits for the same floor by any car-controlled switching device corresponding to a car in any other group, while permitting control of the signal circuit for the same floor by a car-controlled switching device corresponding to a car in the same group. p

2. In combination with an elevator system comprising a lurality of groups each comprising a plura ity of cars, a signal system comprising car signal circuits, car-controlled switching devices corresponding to said cars and operable to control said circuits, and group-selecting means adapted to operate upon operation of one of said carcontrolled switching devices to control a car si nal circuit for any floor, to prevent contro of a car signal circuit for the same floor by any car-controlled switching device corresponding to a car in any other group, while permitting control of the car signal circuit for that floor by a car-controlled switching device corresponding to a car in the same group.

3. In combination with an elevator system comprising a plurality of groups each comprising a plurality of cars, a signal system comprising landing signal circuits, car signal circuits, car-controlled switching devices corresponding to said cars and operable to control said circuits, and group-selecting means adapted to operate upon operation of one of said car-controlled switching devices to control said circuits for an floor, to prevent control of said circuits or the same floor by any car-controlled switching device corresponding to a car in any other 4. In an elevator signal system for an elevator system comprising a plurality of groups each comprising a plurality of cars, a plurality of car-controlled switching devices corresponding to the respective cars and provided with contact members, and ,groupselecting means comprising a plurality of electrically operated devices, one for each of said groups, circuits to connect each of said devices electrically to corresponding contact members of the car-controlled switching devices corresponding to all the cars of the corresponding group and said devices being electrically connected together and adapted to operate upon passage of electrical current through the connection from any one of said electrically operated devices to a connected contact member of the corresponding car-controlled switching device, to open a break in the connections from all the other electrically controlled devices of said group-selecting means to the contacts of the corresponding car-controlled switching devices.

5. In an elevator signaling system for a plurality of elevator cars arranged in groups tor signaling purposes, landing signal means corresponding to the respective cars, electrical circuits for said landing signal means, and group-selecting means connected in said circuits and adapted, upon operation of a landing signal corresponding to one car, to render inoperable the landing signal circuits for the cars in all other groups while retaining the landing signal circuits for other cars of the same group in operable condition.

6. In an elevator signaling system for a plurality of elevator cars arranged in groups for signaling purposes, car signal means in the respective cars, electrical circuits for said car signal means, and group-selecting means connected in said circuits and adapted, upon operation of a car signal in any One car, to render inoperable the car signal circuits for the cars in all other groups while maintaining the car signal circuits for other cars of the same group in operable condition.

7. In an elevator signaling system for a plurality of elevator cars arranged in groups for signaling purposes. landing signal means corresponding to the respective cars, car signal means in the respective cars, electrical circuits for said landing signal and car signal means, and group-selecting means connected in said landing signal and car signal circuits and adapted, upon operation of a signal means corresponding to one car, to render inoperable the landing signal circuits and car signal circuits for the cars in all other groups while maintaining the landing signal circuits and the car signal circuits for all other cars of the same group in operable condition.

8. An elevator signal system, in accordance with claim 1, in which said group-selecting means is operable upon release of control of said landing signal circuit by said one switching device to place and maintain all the landing signal circuits for the same door in condition to be controlled by the corresponding switching devices.

9. An elevator signal system. in accordance with claim 2. in which said group-selecting means is operable upon release of said car signal circuit by said one switchin device to place and maintain all the car signal circuits for the same floor in condition to be controlled by the corresponding switching devices.

10. An elevator signal system, in accordance with claim 3. in which said group selecting means is operable upon release of control of said circuits by said one switch-- ving device to place and maintain all the landing signal and car signal circuits for the same floor in condition to be controlled by the correspondin switching devices.

11. An elevator signal system, in accordance with claim 5, said group-selecting means being operable upon cessation of operation of said landing signal, corresponding to said one car to render and maintain operable the landing signal circuits for the cars in all other groups.

12. An elevator signal system, in accordance with claim 6, said group-selecting means being operable on cessation of operation of said car signal in said one car to render and maintain operable the car signal circuits in all other groups.

13. An elevator signal system, in accordance with claim 7, said group-selecting means being operable upon cessation of op eration of said signal means, corresponding to said one car to render and maintain open able the landing signal circuits and car signal circuits for the cars in all other groups.

Signed at Les Angeles. California, this 13th day of February. 1925.

- RQBERT GAYLQRD. 

